Our challengers have now set out on their journey to face their first gyms, find new Pokémon, make new friends, and have a lot of fun. Or will they? Some teams seem a lot less agreeable than others. But only time will tell, on Pokéstars: Island of Challenge!

Team Regional

Zeke and Claire were walking through some tall grass, their recording having started more than an hour ago. Their journey to the normal type gym had taken them to a grassland kind of place, where the trees lessened and the grass became thicker and taller without their shade.

"The amazing thing about the Insulae Region, at least from what I've heard, is that it supports all sorts of ecosystems," said Zeke. "They're marshes, grasslands, plains, stretches of rivers, mountainous areas, ice caps down south, a small desert. Technically, it shouldn't make sense even though the region covers a large stretch of the earth. But it's home to a diverse set of Pokémon."

"Considering we only had a range of twenty one starter Pokémon rather than thirty six, I'd say not diverse enough."

Zeke shrugged. "I guess eight hundred and ninety eight species of Pokemon isn't diverse when you have one thousand four hundred and forty nine."

"Exactly."

"But you can only have a team of six. So that's over one hundred and forty possibilities."

"Okay Zeke, I suppose you're right. But you know what's better than discussing what Pokémon you can have on a team?"

"Putting them on a team."

Claire paused for a moment. "Well you took the fun out of that."

Zeke laughed. "Sorry, I was just trying to answer your question."

There was a sudden rustle in the grass. Claire and Zeke paused as the rustling continued. Claire pulled out her pokéball and got ready.

All of a sudden, four Rattatas leapt at them from out of the grass.

"Natsu!"

"Ga'hoole!"

Claire's Charmander and Zeke's Rowlet appeared, facing down the Rattatas. One of the Rattatas, presumably the leader, leapt forward to engage.

"Let's do this Natsu, Scratch!"

Natsu leapt forward and attacked the lead Rattata with Scratch, knocking it backwards. The other three gave squeaks and ran forward.

"Ga'hoole, use Leafage!"

"Natsu, use Ember when the leaves hit!"

Ga'hoole threw open his wings, sending out a flurry of leaves that threw the Rattatas back the sharp leaves. Natsu's tail ignited as he breathed a huge spurt of fire at the Rattatas, scorching the leaves and adding to the firepower.

"Great thinking Claire," said Zeke, giving her a hive five. "And great teamwork you two!"

"But it doesn't look like the Rattatas are done, watch out Natsu!"

All four Rattatas leapt at Natsu in an enraged attack. Ga'hoole leapt to his rescue and slammed into one of them with Tackle. Natsu struck another with Scratch, but was knocked backward as the leader used Quick Attack.

"They're all after Natsu!" shouted Claire as her Charmander tried fending all four off with flames.

"Ga'hoole, position yourself to hit all four with Leafage."

"I see your idea. Natsu, keep them close and attack with Scratch!"

The Rattatas converged on Natsu as he threw his claws around wildly, keeping in tune with the battle. Ga'hoole flung out his wings and sent out another powerful Leafage blasting the Rattata with leaves.

"Now, Ember!"

Natsu took a deep breath in and expelled a huge stream of fire, blasting the Rattatas even farther. The Pokémon gave screeches from pain as they rolled in the grass.

"And that's the end of a two versus four," said Zeke.

The lead Rattata burst out from the tall grass and slammed into Ga'hoole with Quick Attack. Natsu was immediately at his partner's side, with a burst of fire, he sent the Rattata flying backwards into the ground, allowing Ga'hoole to finish it off with a Leafage.

"Good job guys!" said Claire, high fiving both of them..

"We can't celebrate now, it looks like the Rattatas are already waking up," said Zeke, pointing at the group they had taken out earlier.

"Those guys won't just quit, will they?" asked Claire. "You ready Natsu?"

Natsu gave a nod as his tail flared up, showing he was ready for battle. The group of Rattatas shrank back. They turned tail and flew, leaving their 'leader' behind.

"Or not. Let's go before they come back. I doubt that's all of them," said Zeke.

"Good point," said Claire, returning Natsu.

They picked up the pace and jogged through the plains.

Team Katsuya

"Use Peck!"

Katsuya's Torchic shoved Amphithere, Kendra Snivy, aside and attacked a Bellsprout with his beak, finishing it off.

Katsuya took out a potion and sprayed his Torchic with it. They'd been fighting other Pokémon all day, so his Torchic had taken a lot of damage.

"Pick up the pace Kendra. You and your Pokémon have been doing nothing."

"What?" asked Kendra. "You've been throwing your Torchic at every single Pokémon you've seen!"

Amphithere shared her indignation with a hiss, causing Kendra to look at her uneasily.

"Uh huh, or your Pokémon is just slow and bad. Try keeping up."

With that, he returned his Torchic to his pokéball and walked away dismissively. Kendra just stood there while Amphithere gave an angry hiss.

"H-hold up!"

She ran to catch up to him, but was cut short when something leapt out from the grass.

A Poochyena leapt at Amphithere and crashed into her with Tackle. Kendra whipped around and quickly tried to think of something to do.

"Amphithere! Razor Leaf!"

Amphithere threw a group of leaves from her tail and launched them at the Poochyena. It leapt away from the attack and leapt back with Tackle, sending Amphithere flying backwards into the long grass.

Kendra looked over to Katsuya, who was still walking in the direction of the bug gym, seemingly oblivious to her battle. She took a deep breath and readied herself, she just had to be creative. She didn't need him.

"Tackle!"

Amphithere was fast and leapt at the Poochyena, trying to use her shoulder to bash it. The Poochyena leapt away and dodged the attack again. Amphithere followed up with a Razor Leaf, but the Poochyena dodged again.

"This thing's agile and is able to dodge our every move. Just perfect," groaned Kendra.

She watched helplessly as Amphithere was struck again with Tackle, sending her sprawling on the grass. Kendra freaked out as she lost sight of her Pokémon in the green grass, but then was struck by an idea.

"Go straight for Tackle! Charge ahead!"

Amphithere rushed forward and attacked with Tackle, only for the Poochyena to dodge again. This time however, Kendra was ready.

"Stay low and circle it!"

Amphithere crouched downwards and moved through the grass, keeping her pale underbelly hidden. The Poochyena looked around, constantly losing sight of the Pokémon as she used her speed to go around it, barely disturbing the grass.

"Razor Leaf!"

Amphithere sent out a barrage of leaves from behind the Poochyena. It didn't see the attack coming and howled from the pain. Amphithere leapt forward and used Tackle, slamming the Poochyena off its feet and onto the ground.

"Don't let up! Razor Leaf!"

Amphithere launched another volley of leaves straight at the Poochyena. It gave a pained howl and ran away, too stunned and hurt to fight anymore.

Kendra watched it go with a sense of euphoria. She had actually managed to win her first Pokémon battle by herself! It was a pretty impressive display as well, and it had been caught on camera, meaning no one could disprove it.

"You see that!" she shouted to no one in particular, high fiving her Snivy. "I can do Pokémon battles, and I can win them too! "

"Mediocre," said Katsuya, walking towards her.

"That's it?" asked Kendra, getting very annoyed. "You left me to a Poochyena ambush, me and Amphithere chased it off without you, and all you can say is mediocre? Last time I checked you weren't even there to help? Who are you to give opinions?"

"Your Snivy was too weak and unskilled to fight it off, so you had to resort to petty tricks like hiding in the grass like a Snivyeling coward. You're lucky the Poochyena didn't have a trainer, or else your little 'strategy' would've flopped. Your Pokémon is seriously lacking in anything and you're lacking as a trainer. Now hurry up before you fall behind."

Kendra stood there, unable to form words to say. Amphithere however, came to her rescue. The little Snivy was not going to stand there and let her trainer be insulted. She slapped Katsuya's leg with her tail and marched over to Kendra.

"Amphithere's right. I can win gym badges without your help! Who are you to say I'm a lacking trainer?"

"Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when you inevitably lose."

As he walked away, Kendra returned her Pokémon and sighed, dropping her hands. Who was she kidding? She was a lacking trainer, and she probably couldn't win without his help. It was only a matter of time before the entire world figured that out.

Team Distant Past

Diego and Jax were walking towards the northeast, heading towards a mountainous region for the flying type gym. Nothing interesting had happened for almost four hours since recording started. Just a few Pokémon battles, nothing much.

Snivy the Cyndaquil was enjoying his time in the fresh air, under the sun and out of his pokéball. Valdez the Chimchar also joined his friend outside of his pokéball. The two were easily getting to know each other as they walked the long kilometers.

"What do you think your first Pokémon's going to be?" asked Diego.

"I have no idea," siad Jax, shrugging. "I don't want to rush forming a Pokémon team. Not because I think some Pokémon are worse than others, but just because I need to know when I'm ready to have my next Pokémon. You know?"

"Nope."

"Well, it's fine I guess," said Jax. "I'll know when to catch my next Pokémon when the time comes. "What about you? Do you have any ideas of the next Pokémon on your team?"

"No. None of the Pokémon we've battled really resonates with me. Perhaps you're right, the time will come when I know what Pokémon I want on my team. I don't remember many species, but I know in my heart that I'll figure it out."

Jax looked at him. "I'm not trying to say this in a rude way, but you're kind of strange sometimes. I doubt it's amnesia."

Diego laughed. "I know. I'm just trying to sound deep. Is it working?"

"You need to work on the voice."

They both laughed and continued walking. Their Pokémon looked at them, slightly confused on what they were laughing about. Valdez shrugged and returned to conversing with Snivy in their own Pokémon language.

"Hey look," said Jax. "There's a person up ahead."

And he was right, there was a man on the rough dirt path they were following. He wore a complete safari set as well as a hat. He was currently looking away from them, staring off at something in the distance. When they approached him, he turned around with a smile on his face.

"Ah, hello!" said the man, his smile brightening. "I didn't expect to meet other explorers on this trip. What are your names?"

"I'm Diego, and this is Jax."

"Pleasure to meet you. You can call me Angelo. No need to tell me why you're here. I already know."

"You do?" asked Jax in surprise.

"Of course, you didn't think the only people you'd be battling here were gym leaders and other contestants? That would be boring! As for me, I'm here to explore this amazing region and see new Pokémon. I was never much of a battler, but I'd love to try my skills. What do you say?"

"We're always up for a challenge," said Diego.

"All right then, I already know what Pokémon you have seen outside their pokeballs. But I only have two so that doesn't matter. Go! Scyther, Buneary!"

The two Pokémon popped out of their pokéballs in two bright flashes. The Scyther gave a cry and slashed its two scythes together in a challenge, the Buneary however, didn't look so battle ready and contented itself with sniffing the flowers.

"Show em what you're made of Valdez!" shouted Jax.

"Let's do this Snivy!" said Diego.

The two Pokémon ran forward to meet their opponents. Fire flared to life on both Pokémon's backs as they prepared.

"Hold on," said Angelo. "Snivy?"

"It's a thing, don't worry about it."

Angelo shrugged. "Okay then, I'm not arguing with that. Now, attack! Scyther, use Pursuit! Buneary, use Quick Attack!"

"Valdez, use your speed to take care of the Buneary! Diego, you focus on the Scyther."

"Got it! Snivy, you know what to do!"

Angelo's Scyther rushed at Snivy, his Scythes blazing with dark energy. Snivy leapt over the swipe and expelled a rush of fire, blasting the Pokémon in its front.

On the other side, the Buneary was racing around Valdez. The Chimchar tried using Ember to hit the Buneary, but its speed was too much and it closed in like a strike with its ears.

"Use Scratch!"

The Buneary leapt at Valdez and struck his claws out.

The two attacks connected and both Pokémon were sent backwards. Before the Buneary could reorient itself, Valdez threw a burst of fire at it, throwing it backwards.

"Buneary! Use Return! Scyther, use Cut!"

"Dodge it!" shouted Diego.

His Cyndaquil dodged each swipe with amazing agility. The Scyther gave a downwards cut, only for Snivy to dodge to the right. A horizontal swipe led to Snivy leaping upwards to dodge the attack.

"You have a very quick and agile Pokémon I see. Try this! Fury Cutter!"

"Use Ember!"

The Scyther unleashed a flurry of attacks that almost reached Snivy. Snivy paused for a moment before sneezing out a huge Ember that threw him backward, burning the Scyther while allowing him to dodge. Snivy followed up with at Tackle and sent the Pokémon flying.

"Scyther, fall back. Buneary, engage the Cyndaquil with Quick Attack!"

"Nice try!" shouted Jax. "Scratch!"

Valdez leapt forward and attacked the Buneary with Scratch. Another Ember sent it falling backwards into the Scyther.

"All right you two, attack with Quick Attack!"

"Two can play in the dual game," said Diego. "Ready for this guys?"

Both Pokémon nodded, knowing exactly what the plan was. They stayed together as the Scyther and the Buneary rushed them. With well timed coordination, they dodged both Pokémon. They flipped around and both took deep breaths before shooting off a powerful fireball together. The intense joint attack hit both Pokémon and defeated them.

Angelo sighed as he returned his Pokémon.

"I guess I'll have to be doing more training. Good match you two. I'm surprised that you guys have already formed such a strong teamwork bond. Good job you guys."

"Thank you," said Jax. "We'll keep going further. Just you wait!"

Angelo nodded. "I have a feeling we'll meet each other soon enough in the future."

With that, Angelo turned around. Headed off into the distance.

Team One

"When are you going to battle me? Too scared?" asked Alicia, pointing at Seth.

Seth ignored her. He was busy training his new Popplio, Empress.

Stuck in the ground a few meters away, were various cooking utensils. There was a fork, a spoon, a cooking spoon, a spatula, a roasting fork, and a frying pan.

"All right, Empress, hit the stuff with Water Gun!"

Empress charged up her water attack and fired a gush of water at the frying pan. With a loud splash, the frying pan went flying and hit the ground.

"Great job! Take them all out!"

With a few more Water Guns, Empress took out the spatula, cooking spoon, and the roasting first try. She missed the spoon twice and hit the fork on her fourth try.

"You did good. Don't worry about the spoon and fork," he said, rubbing her head. "I don't expect you to be hitting opponents that small."

Empress gave a bark and slapped her tail on the ground, boosting herself onto her flippers and doing a handstand.

Seth laughed and started to stand up. "But can you hit a moving target?"

Empress nodded. Seth fished around in the backpack and pulled out a berry.

"All right Empress. When I toss this berry up, I want you to hit it. Got it?"

Empress nodded and did a flip. Seth tossed the berry up and Arianna hit it easily. The berry went flying and hit the ground with a soft squelch.

"That was too easy," said Seth. He took a few steps back and picked up the berry. "Try hitting it from farther!"

Alicia sighed as she watched them train. She needed to defeat the gyms quickly before anyone had a chance to surpass her. She didn't want to waste time, standing around as her partner tried desperately to get to her skill level.

"Will you hurry it up already? You don't need to train when you have me around. But I understand you don't want to feel useless but it's fine. We have to get to the first gym."

"I understand where you're coming from Alicia. But I have to do this. I know you and your Piplup are already very familiar with each other, but this is how I get close with my Pokémon. All right Empress, try hitting this!"

He threw the berry into the air, and Empress missed. She was able to hit it before it came back into Seth's hand.

He picked up the berry again and frowned at it. It was more of a flat mush than a berry. He compressed it and stood to the side.

"All right Empress. Let's do something different this time. I'm going to throw it forward, and you have to hit it. It'll be a lot harder so do your best."

Empress nodded and watched Seth intently. He cocked his arm back and threw the berry as hard as he could. Empress charged up a Water Gu and blasted the berry, sending it flying.

"Great job girl!" shouted Seth, running over to Empress and giving her a double high five.

"You know, you can't only train in setups like this," said Alicia. "Your Pokémon needs real experience."

"Oh don't worry what I need to do," said Seth. "I already have a plan."

A simple bait was set. There were a few berries strung across the ground. Seth and Empress hung around the bait behind a bush, waiting for a wild Pokémon.

"You ready Empress?" asked Seth. "This shall be your first battle, but I know you can do it."

Alicia stood next to him. "Just know I'm joining you in this battle so you don't lose and make a joke out of yourself. But you better stop stalling after this fight, I can't fall behind the other challengers. And you also owe me a battle!"

"So many demands," sighed Seth. "Don't worry. After getting our gym badge I'll battle you. Now shh!"

"Who are you to tell me to shh?" asked Alicia, outraged. "You should know-"

"Be quiet!" hissed Seth, pointing at three Pokémon through the bush.

Three Sentrets of differing sizes walked towards the bait. They sniffed around before jumping towards the berries lying on the ground. Seth held up a hand as they ate the food. They finished the food and started to leave.

"Now Empress!"

Empress popped out of the bushes, causing the Sentrets to turn around in surprise. They saw that she was only one Pokémon, and they were three. They charged towards her, ready to defeat her.

"Get ready Empress! Use Water Gun to push the middle one away!"

Empress charged up the water attack and fired it at the Sentret. She'd already proved to have good aim, and these Pokémon were running head first towards her.

"Go, Poseidon! Hit them with Tackle!"

Alicia's Piplup burst out of her pokéball, slamming into one of the Sentrets head on, throwing it back. Arianna dodged a Tackle from the last one, balancing on one flipper before smacking it with her tail and using Pound.

"Posiedon, use Bubble!"

Poseidon hopped back and used Bubble, spreading a stream of bubbles that hit and slowed down the Pokémon. Poseidon rushed forward and tackled the largest Sentret to the ground before using Bubble again.

"Empress, use Water Gun on both Sentrets!"

Empress blasted both of the approaching Sentrets with Water Gun, throwing them back before they could close the distance. One of them used Quick Attack and tried to dodge another Water Gun, but Posiedon hit it with Bubble and knocked it aside.

"Empress, use Pound!"

Empress turned around and attacked an approaching Sentret with Pound, keeping it at bay. Her flippers and tail proved to be powerful weapons for close ranged combat, and a Water Gun kept the Sentrets from getting too close, even with Quick Attack.

"Pick up the pace Seth!" shouted Alicia. Seth turned and saw that she'd already defeated one of the Sentrets, much to his irritation.

"It's pretty easy when your Pokémon isn't being double teamed! Baby Doll Eyes!"

Empress' eyes glowed with a pink light, making them seem much larger and cuter than they already were. The two remaining Sentrets stopped short, their attack faltering.

"Tackle!"

Poseidon smashed into one of the Sentrets and sent it sprawling, fainted. Empress quickly unleashed a final Water Gun before Posiedon could defeat the last one.

"See, that's two for one," said Alicia. "We're better!"

Seth gave her a look of disdain. "Empress did most of the work. Poseidon mostly did clean up work except for the big Sentret. I'd say fifty-fifty."

Alicia gave a huff and turned around. "Say what you want to say! Everyone knows who's right. Follow me Posiedon, are you hungry?"

The little Piplup nodded and warbled with joy as Alicia gave him a berry. Seth sighed and placed his hands on his hips, looking down to Empress.

"At least her Pokémon like her. Can't say who else though."

Team Katsuya

"Can't we take a break?" asked Kendra, shuffling along. "My legs are tired! We've been walking forever!"

Katsuya ignored her, continuing to move forward.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you aren't feeling it too!" shouted Kendra. "The last time we sat down for less than five minutes was over two hours ago! The sun is already high in the sky!"

Katsuya still continued to walk on.

"Who am I kidding? I'd sooner get Spoinks to fly than for him to listen to me. I'll just rest and catch up eventually. His legs will give up sooner or later."

She sighed and sat down against a tree, removing her hair band. It was way too hot to be constantly walking around like this. She looked at a Roto Drone nearby, carefully observing the area.

She wondered what her parents and her brother were thinking right now, and the rest of the world. She sighed, she hoped she hadn't made a fool out of herself so far.

She suddenly had a slightly uneasy feeling as something yellow appeared in her peripheral vision. She turned slightly and jumped when she saw a Kakuna hanging right next to her ear.

She windwheeled her arms, trying to get her balance as she hit the tree. She let out a breath as she got over the shock of seeing the Kakuna so close.

"You think you're so scary huh?" she asked the Kakuna. "All you can do is Harden!"

A light buzzing filled her ears, and her eyes widened as she hoped the sound she was hearing didn't belong to a certain Pokémon. Three angry Beedrills appread from the tree and stared pointedly at her.

"I really am in a TV show," muttered Kendra, backing up slowly.

The Beedrill's buzzing intensified as they charged at her. She screamed and ran as they flew after her, intent on revenge.

Katsuya glanced at her as she ran past him a minute later.

"Have you finally decided to-"

He paused and slightly looked over his shoulder. He slapped his face as he saw the Beedrills approaching.

"You really screwed up this time," he said, pulling out his pokéball.

What shall happen next? Who'll get to their gym first? Can Katsuya and his Torchic defeat a group of rage induced Beedrills alone? And will Kendra grow a spine? Find out next on Episode Five!